


Courage in the Stars

by Trams



Category: The Magnificent Seven (2016)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Alternate Universe - Space, Established Relationship, Happy Ending, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-26
Updated: 2017-09-26
Packaged: 2018-12-31 06:54:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,321
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12126963
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Trams/pseuds/Trams
Summary: For the Mag7Week prompt: CelebrationA battle to save a whole planet.Or: It’s the battle of Rose Creek, except it’s an alternate universe, in space. Goody still leaves and comes back, but this time things might end a little differently.





	Courage in the Stars

“I have to go back,” Goodnight murmured to himself. He had seen the massive ship flying past, he knew what it was – what it would mean for the people back on the planet. 

His own ship was cloaked so none of the smaller ships accompanying the larger one had seen him, no one had noticed him running away like the coward he was. Guilt gnawing in his stomach, he flipped two of the switches to the right on the dashboard in front of him, and pressed a green button to his left. His ship turned facing the planet he had just left.

“Alright, let’s go back,” he pushed the lever to his left forward – and nothing happened. He frowned.

“I’m sorry,” the voice of the ship’s A.I. sounded through the speakers. “I can not let you do that.”

Goodnight paused, frown deepening.

“I’m sorry– what?”

“I can not to permit you to return to the planet.”

Goodnight scrubbed a hand over his face, holding it across his mouth and breathing out deeply before letting it drop to the dashboard.

“Are you telling me that Billy knew I was going to leave,”

“I am not permitted to tell–”

“Wasn’t finished,” Goodnight interrupted. “Did Billy guess that I would turn tail and run, and made sure that if I did I couldn’t return by installing some sort of protocol in your mainframe?”

There was a long pause.

“Maybe...”

“May I remind you who’s ship you are?”

There was a burst of static and then a recording of Goodnight’s voice started playing.

“We’ll share everything Billy. Money, food, drink. My ship is your ship.”

“I hate you,” Goodnight grumbled.

“Your opinion has been noted,” the A.I said, the lying bastard. It only made note of things it deemed important, like every time Goodnight had been singing in the shower, or the many times he walked into a door while drunk – and sober – and also, apparently, anything it could use to make Goodnight’s life more difficult.

“Alright, since you love Billy so much–” Goodnight started and was interrupted by the A.I.

“I am a ship, I am incapable of love. Or for that matter, any other emotion.”

Goodnight scoffed.

“Since you love Billy more than me, let me just make it clear, you are preventing me from returning to the planet Billy is stuck on, where he is about to die a horrible death when the planet is destroyed.”

Bile rose in Goodnight’s throat. Fuck he had been an idiot for leaving.

He looked at the planet, down there on the surface was Billy, fighting for his life, unaware of how hopelessly outclassed they were about to become.

“Would you–” the A.I. started, “would you be able to save him if I found a loophole to override my commands to keep you safe?”

“Yes,” Goodnight lied.

The ship shot forward. Dodging the enemy ships, cloaked, lighter and faster it quickly passed them, and when they started their descent Goodnight placed the earbud back in his ear, but didn’t turn it on. Not yet, he didn’t need to hear them just yet.

Once reentry was done with he levelled them out, to fly straight for the settlement, before unbuckling and heaving himself out of the seat. He walked through the hallways towards the cargo bay.

“Take us close to Rose Creek, then descend closer to the ground, I’ll be taking the cycle on the final run. Pass over the city and land two kilya from the city,” Goodnight said, and added in his most commanding voice, “and stay there.”

“As you wish,” the A.I. said, sounding deeply unimpressed with him.

“I should have left you where I found you,” Goodnight muttered, “on that scrapheap of a planet.”

The doors to the cargo bay swooshed open and he stalked over to the bike. Stroking a hand across it. It was a bit rusty in spots. Though all the important bits were at least shining from recently being oiled and ready. The guns mounted at the fronts charged and ready. He left his hand resting on the seat, closing his eyes and sighing.

This was all Sam Chisholm’s fault, although he couldn’t really blame Sam. He owed the man a debt, a debt Goody had failed to fulfill by tucking his metaphorical tail between his legs and running off.

He should be blaming The Order, and Sam’s words: _“Once a knight, always a knight. When they call we show up.”_ Goodnight had scoffed then, and he scoffed now. The Order was a joke and they both knew it. However the brotherhood The Order instilled in them? That was no joke. It had been why Goodnight had gone along with it when Sam’s message had been delivered by Faraday.

Goody swung a leg across the bike, seating himself, he pressed his thumb on the print reader, feeling the bike’s engine hum to life underneath him. He lifted his legs, placing them on the footrests as the bike started to hover above the metal floor.

“Open the cargo bay doors,” Goodnight said.

“Are you sure about this?” the A.I. asked.

“Not one bit,” Goodnight said, honestly. He placed his hands on the handlebar, squeezing the accelerator and letting his bike fly out of the opened doors.

He sailed through the air before descending quickly, but controlled until he could see the ground beneath him, at which point he pushed the throttle and the bike shot forward.

He wasn’t sure about any of this, but at least he was on the right side this time. This was the right thing to do, maybe. At least this time he wasn’t duped into fighting his own brothers. This time was different. This time he would most definitely die.

The single high-rise of Rose Creek came into view. Goodnight felt for the poor people of the settlement, first having to flee their planet when it tore itself apart from earthquakes, and a perilous journey through space, which had only been a success thanks to the excellent piloting – according to Tedy Q. Emma had blushed and been more humble – by Matthew and Emma Cullen. Only to have Bogue and his massive intergalactic mining corporation show up two years later on their new planet telling them to vacate or live with the whole planet being turned into a massive mining complex. 

Unsurprisingly the people of Rose Creek were unhappy about being driven from a second planet, and there had been deaths during their protests. Also unsurprisingly Sam had sympathised with their plight. Oh, he had probably pretended not to at first, had to keep up that gruff act of his after all, but in the end he still believed in the ideals of The Order. Something Goody couldn’t do anymore.

Closer to the settlement, with the lower buildings spreading out in a star formation from the base of the high-rise, came the sound of blaster fire, and even closer Goodnight could see the fighting going on.

He turned on the earbud and shouted into the comms.

“They’ve got a tower of death! A starsdamned, planet cracker!”

“Goodnight?” Came Horne’s voice, even pitchier through the comm, and he was panting slightly. At the same time Faraday and Vasquez said “Goody?” in surprise. Sam just said Goody’s name in that satisfied tone of his whenever things went his way just as he had planned them. Goody wasn’t expecting a response from Red, and that only left–

“Billy?”

“About time,” Billy said.

“You knew I’d come back,” Goody said.

“Of course,” Billy said.

“Hang on,” Faraday said, at the same time as Goody reached one of the roads into the town, firing at Bogues men, and meeting up with Vasquez who was going the other direction.

“Did you say he’s got a planet cracker?”

“I knew he was a greedy pedang, but I wasn’t expecting him to be so petty as to wanting to destroy the planet just because he can’t have it,” Vasquez said.

“He can still drain it of all the resources, just no one will be able to live on the planet once it’s been torn in two, like an Ruilan Worlnut” Sam said.

“A what?” Faraday asked.

“It’s a nut, narrz,” Vasquez said.

“I got that bit,” Faraday said, before being interrupted by the loud roaring sound as the rest of Bogue’s army came descending all around the city in their ships, followed by the even larger ship as tall as the high-rise, when it landed the ground shook beneath it, but not as badly as it would shake once it started.

The other ships around the city opened up, and out rushed the androids. Bogue had made a fortune on mining. For that kind of money he could buy a veritable army of androids, the ones programmed to do only one thing: kill. They were disposable and it made sense to send to a planet which would no longer support life soon.

“Goody,” came Sam’s voice. “Get to higher ground.” Which had always been the plan, Goody knew. However there was a small issue.

“Billy’s got my rifle,” Goody said.

“Billy?” Sam asked.

“Already on my way,” Billy answered curt.

“Here they come,” Vasquez said to Goodnight, who nodded and drew his blaster. The androids were heavily armed, and were firing indiscriminately at everything around them, rather than actually aiming. Goodnight dropped down behind the bike, and Vasquez joined him behind it. They would pop up and fire, and then hide again. Unlike the androids both Goody and Vasquez were good shots, and androids began dropping to the ground, the androids coming up behind the first wave stumbling and falling over them.

Goody fired, hitting another one in the head, and was about to duck again, when a second story window exploded, shards flying into the street, followed by Billy. He spun in the air, electric blue daggers crackling and sending sparks as he roared while falling through the air.

Billy stabbed two androids in the heads, letting go of the daggers, he continued to the ground, landing in a roll and getting to his feet while pulling two more daggers, turning them on with a spark. He sprinted towards Goodnight and Vasquez, rifle slung across his back, zigzagging to dodge the blaster fire.

Goodnight had to duck at the same time as Billy came skidding around the bike. Some hair had come loose and flew in his face, and there was something wild and beautiful about him. He caught Goody’s eyes, and there were so many things Goody wanted to say, needed to say, but there was no time.

“Too exposed here,” Vasquez mumbled behind Goody. “I’m making my way to the side of the street.”

Before either Goody or Billy could say anything, Vasquez stood up and while firing sprinted away. Goody rose up and provided covering fire until Vasquez made it. He sank down again and saw Billy had taken the time to remove the rifle and now held it towards Goody. He gripped it lightly, not pulling it away from Billy who still held onto it.

“You know, this reminds me of what my daddy used to say,” Goody said, looking at their hands. Licking his dry lips, and thinking about Billy finding the rifle in their room. He hadn’t been able to say goodbye to Billy. Had known Billy would have been torn between his loyalty to Goody, and the fact that Billy had embraced the cause they were fighting for.

Billy would have been a great knight. Beneath the sometimes aloof, sometimes hard surface that was Billy Rocks in public, lay the person Goody had gotten to know, the person he had fallen in love with, but also someone who so easily embodied many of the ideals of The Order, he could have been the person The Order strived for their members to be. But of course they would have taken issue with Billy’s past, a redeemed former intergalactic assassin somehow didn’t seem to sit well with them. It was their loss. Meanwhile Goody who had long since been tarnished and lost his faith was still considered a knight. Once a knight always a knight the saying was, except for in the cases when it wasn’t true. However, apparently Goody hadn’t yet done anything so bad as to be banned and stripped of his honors. Despite all the things he had done when he fell for the manipulative words that turned him against his brothers. He had been excused, they all had except for the the people in charge, “just following orders” they had said, and of course it was true, but Goody knew it was just because they couldn’t afford to lose so many of their numbers.

“What?” Billy asked.

“Well, he said a lot of things,” Goody said, he had forgotten what he was originally going to say.

Billy actually laughed, and it was a sound that warmed Goody more than anything else ever could, and he laughed as well.

“You have to get going,” Billy said a second or an eternity later. Goody looked at him, memorizing every line of his face.

“What about you?” Goody asked.

“Have to stay on the ground,” Billy said, letting go of the rifle. “I’m taking your bike though,”

“Of course,” Goody said. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t,” Billy said. “Knew you’d be back.” He nodded. “Go. I’ll see you after.”

“I’ll see you after,” Goody said. Reaching out and pushing a strand of soft hair behind Billy’s ear. Fingers brushing BIlly’s skin, he felt him shiver.

He forced himself to move away, slinging the rifle over his back, he made his way to the side of the street and headed straight for the centre of the settlement, and the high-rise. And he did not look back.

Goody jogged towards the high-rise. Ten stories tall it stood in the centre, and underneath it in the basement where the hollow shell of the ship that had brought the settlers, ruined with no hope of ever flying again it was to serve as the hiding spot for the civilians, children mostly, who couldn’t fight. There were supposed to be people trying to fix it, but judging from the grim look on Teddy Q’s face where he stood guarding the entrance, there had been no luck getting it ready.

Goody simply nodded to Teddy, who nodded back, when Goody hurried past him and entered the cool building, where the noise of the battle was muffled. The elevators wouldn’t work, but he didn’t need to get all the way to the top.

He ran up the staircases to the fifth floor, like the tenth it was open plan with large panoramic windows all the way around, providing a 360 view of the town, and had served as the observatory point before the next floors had been added.

Panting a bit, and catching his breath Goody looked through the windows. Rose Creek had a frankly terrible layout for defending it against a force that could surround the whole city. With eight streets leading straight for the high-rise, as well as the ring road which connected all of the streets. Pour enough people from every direction and it would quickly turn into a bloodbath.

Before Goody had arrived, when it had only been the first wave of Bogue’s androids, a lot of them would have been taken care of on the fields on the outskirts, where they had dug down mines. The mines funneling them into four of the streets, where they had been trapped by various obstacles. Red and Billy would then have been on the roofs picking them off like karapax in a container. Leaving Vasquez, Horne, Faraday and Sam on the four still opened streets. However things had probably changed now with the reinforcements.

“Where you all at?” Goody asked into the earpiece. He looked to the north of the city where the planet cracker had set down, and where most of the reinforcements were coming from, it was also the street Goody had picked, and where he had left Billy.

“I’m holding second southwest street,” Faraday said. “Gonna set off a hastily improvised trap to shut them out of it and head over to Chisholm.”

A second later there was a large explosion and Goody hurried across the floor to look out and see how the buildings on both sides of the street had been blown into large pieces now conveniently blocking off the street. A few androids were still on the inside, and Goody lifted his rifle, shooting the ones Faraday didn’t get.

“Nice shooting,” Faraday said. Sounding surprised. Goody huffed.

“Red and I are holding northwest street,” Horne said.

“Alright, and Sam, Faraday is coming to join you,” Goody said. “I’ll give Vasquez and Billy some support, holler if you need me.”

Goody hurried over to the window overlooking the north side, and settled in to do some shooting.

The thing about being so far away from the immediate action – the only sound mainly coming from his own blaster – was that the rush and stress could just slide off of him, he got lost in aiming, squeezing the trigger, brace for recoil, motion. All he had to do was shoot and when it came down to it, he was good at it. Any earlier worries gone from his mind.

But then the rumbling started, and he was brought back into the immediate reality. He looked at the massive tower. It had started to vibrate, blue light coming from the center of it.

“It’s starting to power up!” Goody shouted into the comm. 

At the same time large cannons had been brought forward to protect the tower, and were now hurtling balls of pure blue electricity, hitting the buildings and sometimes their own soldiers.

They could still get away, Goody thought. Him and Billy. Could run away and take their ship and leave, but they would have to leave the people of Rose Creek behind, because not everyone would fit in their ship, not even if they took into account Sam’s and Red’s ships, could they get everyone off the planet.

“I still have some explosives,” Faraday said.

“What are you,” Vasquez started. “That’s suicide,” he exclaimed when he got it.

“Worth a try,” Faraday said.

“I’ll cover your approach, Billy said. Goody’s stomach turned.

“Me too,” Goody said, hurriedly lowering his rifle, to readjust it for targets further away.

Raising the rifle again he looked through the sight and saw Faraday driving his bike out of town. Goody wasn’t sure where Faraday had gotten the bike, he suspected he’d won it in a card game before subsequently losing it and Sam buying it. He also wasn’t sure how the man had circumvented the print reader which were individualized during manufacture but he had, somehow. Billy following on Goody’s bike, which was just as fickle and in love with Billy as his ship, despite not having an A.I.

Goody started picking off any androids firing at Billy and Faraday, which the two couldn’t pick off with the bikes’ weapons system. They were moving too fast for the cannons to get an accurate hit on them, and at least half were turned to fire towards the high-rise, but Goody had a few more minutes before they were recalibrated, so he kept shooting. Trying too not think about the worry over Billy, gnawing in his belly.

The tower shook as the cannon fire started hitting the structure, exploding on impact. Goodnight spread his legs, trying to keep his balance while still aiming at the androids firing at Billy and Faraday. Billy was driving closer to the androids, drawing most of the fire away from Faraday.

Suddenly the windows to the right of Goody exploded inward, and shards flew across the room, the whole floor rocked, and Goody threw himself down with a yelp. There was a ringing in his ears as he heaved himself up onto his knees, grabbing hold of the low window sill and placing the rifle there. He looked out just in time to see one of the cannons aimed away from the high-rise, get in a lucky shot, the projectile exploding on the ground right in front of BIlly.

“Billy!” Goody screamed, his blood running cold and heart stopping as the ball of electric blue exploded in a flash and threw up dirt, and the shock wave tossed the bike to the ground, Billy flying off of it.

Goody struggled to his feet at the same time as two large explosions sounded overhead, he started to run towards the stairs and then the ceiling came raining down.

~

There were a couple of loud explosions in the distance, followed by silence, around him, but in his ears there was a persistent ringing. His body throbbed with pain from head to toe. Something heavy was resting on his leg, and he struggled to free himself from it. Dragging himself across the floor until he reached the stairs in the middle of the room. The whole building seemed to shudder around him, but there was no more cannon fire.

Billy, he thought. He had to find Billy. Had to find him. Make sure he was alright.

There was smoke and fire all around him, and he coughed. Eyes watering from the smoke stinging in them. He continued to drag himself forward until he made it to the stairs. He started to make his way down them without actually standing up.

He’d made it two floors down when he had to take a break, he sat leaning against the wall, breathing in the smoke free air. He was going to continue soon. He just needed to rest a bit.

~

There was still a ringing in his ears when he opened his eyes again, the heat coming from above him almost unbearable it was so close. But there was something more than just the ringing, something that had woken him.

“Goody, Goodnight,” Sam said. He wondered how long he had been resting. Probably too long. He opened his eyes and saw only the dark stairwell he was sitting in. He coughed, but he couldn’t say anything.

“Vasquez,” Sam said. “Find Goody, and help everyone get out of the basement.”

Goody tried to utter Billy’s name, but all that came out was a croak.

“Red, try and locate Faraday and Billy.”

Billy, Goody had to find Billy. He gripped the banister and heaved himself to his feet. 

“Horne’s been injured,” Red said “I have to–”

Goody started walking down the stairs. Leg’s unsteady but he was moving forward.

“I’ll help him,” Emma said.

“Good, I–” Sam started but was interrupted.

“Sam Chisholm, I presume.” That had to be Bogue. His voice carrying through Sam’s earpiece.

“Bogue,” Sam said.

Goody continued moving. His leg hurt, but not as much as it would have had it been broken.

“I must say, I did not expect this outcome.”

Goody made it down another floor. Now he could hear voices coming from below.

“No, I can imagine you didn’t,” Sam was saying. And Goody was only paying attention to the comm waiting for Red, or anyone to tell him about Billy.

“I’ve paid The Order a lot of money to stay out of my business,” Bogue said. 

Confirming something Sam had just speculated about with Goody. He had asked Sam, why Mrs Cullen hadn’t taken their troubles to The Order, it was the sort of thing they usually would handle, and Sam had told Goody that she had, but they’d rejected it. “The Order isn’t what it used to be,” Sam had said. “You don’t say,” had been Goody’s reply. It had taken longer for Sam to start doubting them.

Goody sank down to the floor again, feeling dizzy.

“I could make you rich,” Bogue said. “Pay you to just walk away.”

Goody closed his eyes and snorted. Yeah sure, pay off Sam Chisholm, in no universe would that work.

“Sorry,” Sam said, not sounding sorry. “I still believe in what The Order used to stand for.”

Goody tried to focus, but drifted off again.

~

He was brought back to consciousness by someone shaking his shoulder. He grabbed the offending wrist of whoever was doing it, and opened his eyes to find himself staring at Vasquez.

“Come on, narrz,” Vasquez said. “Time to go. Emma’s taken care of Bogue and Faraday blew up everything, possibly including himself,” the last part he muttered darkly, looking away. “Haven’t heard back from Red.”

“Billy?” Goody croaked out.

“Up,” Vasquez said. He tugged at Goody’s arm, and with Vasquez help he managed to get to his feet. Arm slung over Vasquez shoulders they stumbled their way to the entrance level and out through the door into the throng of survivors crowding outside.

Vasquez and Goody pushed forward between people who were crying, or smiling, and most of them smiling through tears. Some were thanking them as they walked past.

“We need to get you to the doctor,” Vasquez said to Goody.

“I have to find Billy,” Goody said, his voice a little less rough now that he was outside in the fresh air.

“Doctor first,” Vasquez said. But Goody stopped walking, and Vasquez tried and failed to pull him forward.

“Billy!” Goody shouted above the noise of people talking, laughing, crying, or cheering their continued survival and their win.

“Billy!” Goody shouted again.

Despair started to grow in his chest, when suddenly he heard:

“Goody!”

Goodnight managed to push himself away from Vasquez, and stumbling forward towards the sound of Billy’s voice.

“Billy!”

The crowd opened up around him and there, in front of him stood Billy. He looked a little singed around the edges, and there were dirt stains on his clothes. His hair hung around his face, and he looked at Goody with wide eyes.

They both took the final steps towards each other at the same time.

“Goody–” Billy started. 

Goody wasn’t even going to bother with words, the relief in his chest too powerful and consuming. Instead he put one arm around Billy’s waist, the other one buried in the hair at the back of Billy’s head. He dipped him low and bent down over him, capturing Billy’s lips in a deep kiss, closing his eyes he lost himself in the kiss. Feeling tears of joy threatening to escape. Around them people were cheering, but all Goody could focus on was Billy, Billy’s hands gripping his shirtsleeves and arms tightly, Billy’s soft noises at the back of his throat, his lips moving against Goody’s.

~

They eventually ended up in the doctor’s own home, since the hospital wing in the high-rise was a no go zone, everyone who could had carried over all the equipment.

Goody felt almost as good as new once one of the doctors got the time to look at him, which took a while since the most in need patient was Faraday – who would live but was going to take a while to recover – followed by Horne – who would also live, but would be bedridden for a little while as well.

As such it was minus Faraday and Horne that the rest of them met up in the bar that night. Goodnight and Billy sat pressed close together at the back of a booth, Sam on a chair and Vasquez and Red opposite from Goody and Billy. The rest of the bar was filled with people, almost half the town, the rest celebrating at their homes, or the homes of their friends in the cases their own homes had been destroyed.

The mood in the bar was cheerful and rowdy, with people laughing, and singing, and drinking.

Sam was telling them all about his confrontation with Bogue, but Goodnight was only half listening, the rest of his attention on the way Billy’s wam thigh was pressed against his, and Billy’s hand which was placed, almost possessively, high up on Goody’s thigh. Goody’s own arm slung over Billy’s shoulders.

As Sam’s story began to dwindle to an end, Goody turned his head to whisper in Billy’s ear.

“I was afraid of losing you,” Goody said. “I thought if I ran I wouldn’t have to know for sure and could imagine you surviving. I’m sorry.”

Billy turned his head to look him in the eyes.

“You should have talked to me,” Billy said, but his voice held no reproach, even though he had definitely earned it.

“I– I’m a coward.”

Billy huffed out a breath and gave Goody a crooked smile.

“I think you’ve proved the opposite today. You came back.” He frowned. “Remind me to have a chat with your ship.”

“Our ship,” Goody corrected. “You know she is in love with you.”

Billy snorted but looked amused.

“She’s a ship, she doesn’t have feelings.”

“Then why did she immediately override your programming when I pointed out you would die if I couldn’t come back here and save you?”

“I saved myself,” Billy muttered. “You’re the one who needs saving all the time.”

“I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear that part. Anyway, the ship is obviously in love with you,”

“Of course, that’s the conclusion you draw,” Billy said with a shake of his head.

“Yep. I’d rather not to fight her for your affection, though.”

Billy let out a short laugh, and looked up at Goody through eyelashes.

“I don’t know, those hot showers are divine,”

“I knew she’s been hoarding hot water for you,” Goody muttered. “Next core planet and I am scrapping her and getting a new A.I.”

Billy put a warm palm on Goody’s cheek turning his face back to look at Billy who smiled warmly at him.

“You know I love you right?” Billy asked. “I thought, if he runs I want him safe, I want to know he made it.”

Goody turned his head to press a kiss to Billy’s palm.

“I know,” Goody said, and smiled. Billy moved his hand to the back of Goody’s head and pulled him in for a slow kiss. Goody eagerly kissed him back.

“I love you,” Goody whispered when they pulled apart slowly. He put his hand on the back of Billy’s head and pulled him in for another long lingering kiss.

Pulling apart again he couldn’t stop himself from staring into Billy’s eyes. When someone coughed on the other side of the table.

“Hey, guys,” Red said. “You do know we are still sitting here?”

Goody shook himself and turned his head, blinking slowly at Sam, Vasquez and Red sitting there.

“Uh,” Goody said.

“He totally forgot we were sitting here,” Vasquez stage whispered to Sam who had an oddly indulgent look on his face.

“I did not,” Goody protested. He lifted his glass but noticed it was empty. “Now, is this a celebration or not?” He asked. “Next round is on me.”

“I’d say you have to buy all the rounds,” Vasquez said. “On account of you running out on us.”

“Hey,” Goody protested. “I came back. I’d like to keep some of the money we are being paid.”

“You are a knight of The Order,” Sam said. “You’re not supposed to want payment for doing the righteous thing.”

Goody gaped at him.

“You can’t possibly–” Goody started, but Sam laughed.

“Go get drinks, I’ve already transferred your share of the money.” Goody got up on his feet. “Besides,” Sam continued. “I do think we are drinking here for free tonight. On account of us saving them and all that.” He continued to smile. “We are celebrating after all.”

Goody smiled and shook his head a little before he walked over to the bar counter. Happy to be alive, and even happier to have Billy. Later he would bring Billy back to their ship, and they would have their own private celebration, to celebrate that they were still alive and still had each other.

**Author's Note:**

> The celebration prompt was really difficult for me. And the only thing I really wanted to write was Goody dipping Billy and kissing him in the middle of a cheering crowd. Everything else in this is just an excuse for that one bit.


End file.
